A $1.2 million grant was given by Learn and Serve America
to the University of Louisiana System to be distributed between eight higher
education institutions and universities, with Tech being one of the eight.

The sub-grants of $2,500 up to $15,000 will be given to
eligible student organizations and individuals, including faculty and staff
members who require more funding for service-learning projects, events or
training seminars.

“I’m excited about this opportunity for students,” Caleb
Smith, Student Government Association president and senior marketing major,
said.

“I believe this funding both provides the necessary means
and incentives for students to go beyond themselves and to serve others while
they serve the community around them.”

Smith said service-learning programs involve an event,
project or a training seminar, which allow students to help others and also
gain personally.

“An example of one of Tech’s service-learning programs is
the Extreme Spring Break, hosted by the Student Advisory Council for the ULS,”
Smith said.

“This past spring, students from around the state
gathered in Lake Charles and New Orleans for disaster relief training and a
weekend filled with working in homes in the area.”

Brad O’Hara, a ULS representative for Tech and ULS
associate provost and vice president for student affairs, said the grant
applications are due Oct. 16 and can be filled out not only by student
organizations, but by faculty and staff.

“We will review all the proposals from across the state
and announce the award winners at our first board meeting Dec. 1,” O’Hara said.

Eric Jackson, a founding member of Pi Alpha Delta, a
pre-law honor society, and a 2006 Tech graduate of political science, said he
thinks the sub-grants would help out many organizations and Tech overall.

“I know how different organizations need to raise money
for certain projects and do not have enough money in the end to accomplish it,
so these grants could turn a lot of dreams into realities,” Jackson said.

Smith said SGA, along with the ULS and Learn and Serve
America, is about making a difference in the lives of students and helping them
to think larger scale.

“College is not only about getting a piece of paper, it’s
about becoming a bigger person,” Smith said. “We’re here to develop a student
culture that will encourage people to become bigger people, to grow and be
better equipped to change the world.”

Application packets are available at the SGA office,
located in the back of Tolliver Hall, and are also available on the ULS Web
site, www.ulsystem.net.